Free-Will

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Free-Will
Founded 1986
Founder Hiroshi Tomioka
Status Active
Genre Rock
Country of origin Flag of Japan Japan
Official website www.free-will.co.jp

Free-Will is a Japanese independent record label founded in 1986. It manages, among others, several visual kei themed rock bands and also continues to co-manage many of its artists after they have signed recording contracts with one of the major record labels. During the visual kei boom in the 1990s, the phrase "East Extasy and West Free-Will" was coined ("Extasy" referring to Yoshiki Hayashi's Extasy Records).[1] Free-Will currently has branches in Japan, and the United States and previously in Europe as well.[2]

On September 14, 2007, the label's founder Hiroshi "Dynamite Tommy" Tomioka was arrested, along with fellow Free-Will official Kazunori Murasaki and Koichi Kaku, a former employee of the Asatsu-DK advertising agency. The trio is accused of defrauding the agency of 324 million yen (approximately US$ 2.8 million) by ostensibly ordering the agency to produce music videos, which were then delegated to subcontract firms. Kaku has since confessed to the charges, while Tomioka denies any involvement.[3][4][5]

Contents

[edit] Sub-divisions

The company operates several sub-divisions, some of them for a single band or purpose only. For example, Firewall Div. solely handles material which is released in collaboration with Sony Music.

[edit] Bands managed directly

Current
Past
  • Color
  • Kamaitachi
  • By-Sexual
  • Billy & The Sluts
  • Decameron
  • Genkaku Allergy
  • Seamonkey
  • Amphibian
  • Youka
  • Red Tail Cat
  • Lovemania
  • Speed-iD
  • vogue

[edit] References

[edit] See also

[edit] External links